Epic battle between heron and snake in Florida wildlife refuge caught on camera

A Florida photographer was slowly cruising through St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, south of Tallahassee, searching for his next great shot when a battle of the food chain unwound before his eyes.

About 40 yards away, George Stinson watched as a great blue heron thrashed around in the swamp reeds with something large in its mouth. Stinson hopped out of the car and quickly started snapping photos of the short-lived wrestling match. Even though he was unsure of what precisely he saw, he knew this was an "absolutely unique" moment.

It wasn't until he got home and flipped through the shots he had taken over the course of his trip in the preserve, roughly 30 miles away from Florida's capital, that Stinson was able to identify the big bird's opponent: a snake.

His photos revealed a viral moment in the making: The long snake caught in the bird's mouth while it coiled around the bird's long, dagger-like beak.

"Great blue herons will eat anything," he said. "So this one grabbed a snake that was just a little bit too hot to handle."

Patience, luck needed to secure shot

After retiring from the Florida Department of Revenue, Stinson picked up photography — a hobby that has sent him chronicling wildlife across the world.

Nature photographers, he has learned, rely on two things: patience and luck.

Stinson happened to be at the right place at just the right time to get a photo unlike any of the other dozens of blue heron pictures he's taken before.

"Usually when you take a picture like this, you know you've got a good one, because your heart's racing," he said.

Everyone was a winner Monday afternoon: The animals agreed to a truce and let go of one another after their four-minute battle, and Stinson captured one of his top 10 favorite shots he's ever taken.

All he could think when flipping through his photos was "Wow — That's a money shot."

Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on Twitter@elenabarreraaa.